


What a man’s gotta do

by noo



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Community: au_abc, Community: jim_and_bones, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-31
Updated: 2011-01-31
Packaged: 2017-10-18 00:33:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/183033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noo/pseuds/noo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes the advantages of birth are not an advantage at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What a man’s gotta do

“Mother!” Leonard exclaimed as he brushed his mother’s hand away from him for the fourth time.

“Leonard,” she glared right back, her perfectly made up mouth pouting in a slight moue of disappointment. Even though her hands were resting alongside her body, he just knew that she had wanted to place them on her hips, but that would have ruined the delicate silk of her dress. Heaven forfend if Queen Eleanora of Georgia turned up at a party looking anything less than perfect.

“For my sake, please do up your tie properly,” she ordered him. From anyone else it might have been a request, but from her, he knew otherwise.

Luckily for him, the door to their suite opened and M’Benga entered.

“Your Majesty, your Royal Highness,” M’Benga said quietly. “They are ready now.”

“Thank you, Geoffrey,” his mother serenely replied before turning a glare back toward Leonard. “Please try and look respectable when you come down.”

On that note, she shook her head gently, her snow white curls bouncing slightly at the movement and then she was heading out the door with her secretary, Christine, following behind at a discreet distance.

Leonard ran a hand through his hair, disturbing the neat coiffure that his valet had worked hard on creating earlier. For once the room was devoid of people. It was so rare to find himself alone that he didn’t quite know what to do with the silence. He walked over to the decanter and lifted it up, considering a drink. He stood there awhile considering what was waiting for him downstairs. There would be talk and looks about his recent divorce. Specifically though he knew that there was one person he was avoiding by his hiding up here in the room. He didn’t want to see a look of disappointment on Jim’s face. He knew though, that if he didn’t head down soon, his mother would send Christine or M’Benga up to fetch him. He pushed the thoughts of Jim into the back of his mind. As much as he would try, thoughts of Jim would not remain in the recesses of his mind for long if he could not distract himself elsewhere. He placed the decanter back down on the table, swore once and stalked out of the room and downstairs to the reception.

When he walked into the room, filled with all the royal families and their minions, he recognized many faces. These were ‘his’ people, who he had been taught from birth were on a level for him to associate with. There were the slight pitying stares he could make out behind fans as gossip was traded from person to person. His divorce was recent and there had been no new scandal to take it’s place.

Then there were his friends, the few that he trusted with the real him. The first he clearly saw amongst the crowd was Hikaru Sulu, who was engaged in an animated discussion with a very young man. As the man turned, Leonard recognized Pavel Andreyvich Chekov, Prince of Russia. Leonard felt for Chekov, as he well knew Hikaru’s ability to talk away incessantly about his latest obsession, until he saw his face and gathered that Chekov was as enthralled in the conversation as Hikaru. Shaking his head at the follies of youth, that eagerness and joy that he didn’t feel so much any more, Leonard let his eyes wander over the rest of the crowd.

In the far corner were the members of the Vulcan High Council. It was, of course, only logical for others to come and greet them instead of them mingling amongst the crowd. Standing stiff-backed with stoic faces, Leonard disliked talking to most Vulcans as their hiding of their emotions was something that he just didn’t understand, especially for Spock, whose mother was human. The rumours he had heard about Jim’s involvement with Spock sat deep in the pit of his stomach, gnawing away and making him feel like he might throw up at any moment. It was an unpleasant feeling he didn’t want to contemplate. It was good for all parties, politically sound, but was it right for Jim? Leonard tried to ignore those thoughts so he looked away from the Vulcan group.

Next he spied Pike and Archer circulating, making small talk and walking the careful political minefield that they had created with this reception. A “Magnificent Enterprise,” they had declared it on their invitations, an aim to create a Federation of common aims out of all the countries, bringing together the best and the brightest. Leonard thought the idea had merit but would take skilled diplomacy that he knew he didn’t possess. He preferred plain speaking and not the wars that were waged, won and lost all with only words exchanged. His mother was the master of those types of wars.

There she was, at the center of the room, with her closest friend, Empress Winona. They were exceedingly powerful amongst this group, so much so that one word from either of them could condemn this Federation to fail before it even started. At a break in the crowd his mother spied him and she smiled very slightly, but he knew there were slight creases at the corner of her eyes and she was happy that he had come down soon, instead of hiding upstairs. Then she noticed his attire and those eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn’t fixed his tie, and his top two buttons were still undone. Quite possibly there was also going to be a lecture in his future very soon about his hair too. He was a man not a clothes horse, damn it! So, like the prince of the realm and coward that he was, he decided to move from his spot and more into the crowd to make it difficult for his mother to corner him.

He spent a time conversing with the lovely Princess Nyota. The woman was beautiful, very talented at languages, and hadn’t been inclined, unlike others, to make any comments about his divorce. She just chatted about other matters. No wonder the United African States were so prosperous with a woman as intelligent and diplomatic as her as their next ruler. The one thing that Leonard did notice was that Spock’s attention seemed to keep wandering to stare at the pair of them, so for reasons that Leonard didn’t want to look at too closely, he made sure that he smiled and leaned in close as he spoke to Nyota. Even from the distance between them, Leonard could see his eyebrow twitching every time he flirted with Nyota.

As he leaned down to flirt quietly with her, he noticed his mother on the move out of the corner of his eye. She appeared to be headed in the direction of a particular friend of his, Montgomery, so he excused himself from Nyota’s lovely company and headed in the opposite direction to his mother.

His path took him closer to the far wall, where large french doors were letting in a bountiful supply of light. The crowds parted and that is when he saw him, James Tiberius Kirk. Prince of Iowa and Jim to Leonard. He was standing alone in a small window bay, which was unusual for him. Normally he would be surrounded by many other people, but it seemed not today. He had on a light grey suit, hands in his pockets, and wouldn’t his mother go to town on him on the creases he was creating with that posture, Leonard mused. Jim then looked up and those blue eyes focused on Leonard and a smile broke upon his face. Pleased to see him, it seemed, and Jim did the one thing that Leonard feared. He took a step toward him. Leonard shook his head quickly and ran like the coward he was. Well, he walked briskly. Running would have created too much notice and people would have been able to tell his mother where he went too easily.

Leonard counted his blessings that the high protective dome allowed him to wander past the gardens and out to the sand hills that surrounded the property. He knew that a security detail was monitoring the exterior of the dome, and that it had created an illusion of safety and solitude so that the families could mingle and talk without their usual shadows. Alliances and matches were going to be made this week, he knew it. He stood with his back to the house and his face raised to the sky, squinting through the dome to seek the sun above.

He jumped and did a manly squeak when a hand touched him on the shoulder. The chuckle he heard before he turned around told him exactly who it was that had touched him.

“Damn it, Jim,” he grumbled. “Sneak up on a man why don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t have to, if you didn’t run away from the party,” Jim pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I just needed a little time, is all. Mind you, I wasn’t the one hiding in a corner,” Leonard said.

“I was waiting for your scintillating personage to come down and join the party,” Jim smirked at him.

Leonard just snorted in response and turned his back on Jim. He hadn’t seen the man in awhile. They had been fast friends as youths but with Leonard’s marriage and responsibilities there had been less time for them to spend together. They hadn’t parted on the most amicable of terms at their last meeting. Jim had never been fond of Jocelyn as a choice for Leonard’s wife and Leonard didn’t want to hear an ‘I told you so’ from one who knew him best.

“You really think I would do that?” Jim asked.

Leonard swore under his breath as he realized he had spoken aloud.

“But, yes, I was right. You have to admit that she was all wrong for you,” Jim continued when Leonard refused to acknowledge his question.

“It’s our roles, you know that. Marry, forge strong alliances, produce an heir if possible. A man’s gotta do and all that jazz,” Leonard still refused to turn around and look at Jim as he spoke. “I hear tell there is talk of you mother looking to Vulcan for her next alliance with Iowa.”

“No changing the subject, man. There were other options for you back then and you still chose her.”

“Other options?” Leonard asked as he turned around to face Jim.

“Yeah, you remember. I asked you first,” Jim said as he stepped closer to Leonard. The normal amused twinkle in his eyes was gone, replaced by a serious look.

“You were fifteen!” Leonard exclaimed.

“At fifteen I had kissed more girls than you,” Jim pushed Leonard on the chest making him stumble backwards slightly.

“Kissing more girls does not a suitable partner make to rule a country,” Leonard glared back at Jim.

“No, but you know I was the better option anyway,” Jim was angry and he stepped forward again until they were almost chest to chest. “Mother has Samuel to follow on from her, and he already has two boys. I am surplus to requirements but have been well trained. I am good at it and Mother lets me help out with suggestions, but I will never have any part of Iowa for myself. You hate it. You would rather be holed up with your books and studying medicine.”

Leonard blinked at Jim, he thought his little ‘hobby’ was well hidden from most people’s knowledge, but somehow Jim knew.

“See? I would be perfect. You can still study and I can help out Queen Eleanora,” Jim offered him.

“How do you know?” Leonard asked quietly, tugging on his tie and loosening it even more in his agitation.

Jim smiled slowly. “Don’t worry, very few know and I like it. Everyone has to have their hobbies and yours is a good one.”

Leonard was perturbed and used the only weapon at his disposal, deflection. “What’s yours then?”

Jim’s smile got broader, his eyes crinkling at the corners almost as much as the linen of his suit. He was so pale in contrast to the deep rust color of the sand that surrounded them. Leonard could only stand mesmerized while he waited for Jim to answer that question.

“You,” Jim said.

“Whuh?” Leonard was confused about the answer until Jim leaned forward and pressed his lips to Leonard’s. Then it all made perfect sense.

Leonard’s brain went on a short trip downwards to other areas that apparently needed some blood. His hands were working their own way around Jim’s body and pulling him closer and then he was parting his lips and letting Jim in. His eyes closed and it became about the feel of Jim in his arms. The feel of him pressing close and hard. Very hard. Soft teasing kisses became harder, stronger and breathing was almost an option. Jim most definitely had been putting all that kissing to good practice.

“See,” Jim said as he slowly moved his head away, breaking the kiss. Leonard reluctantly opened his eyes and blinked as Jim can into focus.

Jim was cradling his face in one hard. The day old stubble on Leonard’s face had to have been rough on his palm but Jim just smiled so Leonard rubbed his cheek into it, like a cat seeking an rub.

“You should have married me instead, then I wouldn’t have had to go around kissing so many people,” Jim told him.

“Now wait a minute,” Leonard pulled his face away from that distracting palm when Jim’s words finally registered. “No blaming me-”

Jim shut him up by kissing him again. When an opportunity made itself available Leonard managed to ask a question that had been bugging him slightly.

“What about Spock?”

Jim laughed. “Really? That’s the best you’ve got? Seriously, can you see me and a Vulcan? I like the guy but we would kill each other within a year if we had to live together. I know that’s not a requirement for most royal marriages, but I get the feeling his eye is elsewhere. Just like mine is.”

“Jim-”

“Shut up,” Jim said around the kiss. His hands were now firmly on Leonard’s ass and Leonard decided that this might be one argument he was likely to lose. Jim would kill Spock, or vice versa and while Leonard might also contemplate killing Jim on a regular basis, he probably wouldn’t follow through on it. Jim did seem to have his advantages to Leonard.

If later, when they returned to the house and tried to sneak back upstairs and were sprung by both their mothers, the fact that both their suits were very suspiciously coated with sand, Leonard’s hair was even more of a mess and his tie completely undone, Jim was missing a button or two and they each had hold of the others hand, the future might have been looking a little brighter to Leonard than what it had when he woke up that morning.  


**Author's Note:**

>  **Title:** What a man’s gotta do  
>  **Beta:** Many thanks to [](http://7ofeleven.livejournal.com/profile)[**7ofeleven**](http://7ofeleven.livejournal.com/) for making this a lot better and [](http://selinamoonfire.livejournal.com/profile)[**selinamoonfire**](http://selinamoonfire.livejournal.com/) for adding the spit and polish  
>  **Rating:** PG  
>  **Word Count:** 2,518  
>  **Pairings/Characters:** Kirk/McCoy, McCoy/Jocelyn, Winona, Eleanora, M’Benga, Chapel, Spock, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, Scotty, Pike and Archer  
>  **Warnings:** AU  
>  **Disclaimer:** Not mine, dammit!
> 
>  **Summary:** Sometimes the advantages of birth are not an advantage at all.
> 
>   
>  **A/N:** I had my arm twisted to write a little AU where the boys were both from royal families. This was originally posted over at [](http://community.livejournal.com/jim_and_bones/profile)[**jim_and_bones**](http://community.livejournal.com/jim_and_bones/) but has been considerably revised and adjusted. I can also now tick off another square on my [](http://community.livejournal.com/au_abc/profile)[**au_abc**](http://community.livejournal.com/au_abc/) [bingo card](http://nikki4noo.livejournal.com/90019.html).


End file.
